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Five picture books you should read now | Five on Friday

Friday, April 15, 2016

I decided to do a twist on the Five on Friday post by writing mini-reviews of five picture books I loved. I did read a lot more than these five picture books so far this year but these are the five that actually engaged my adult brain.

The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home: If there ever was a picture book out there so unique that you had to marvel at the author's ingenuity, then these two books are it. In both the Crayons books, a bunch of crayons have addressed letters to Duncan - in one, the crayons are so annoyed by something (not being used enough or being used too often or always being used for the same objects or playing second fiddle to another crayon) that they have decided to quit being his crayon. In The Day the Crayons Came Home, a large group of crayons have sent Duncan letters from places where they are lost (some behind the couch while others in entirely different countries) and they are all trying to find their way back to Duncan. What I loved best about these books is that they will make any reader want to pick a set of crayons and let their imagination run wild.

The Story of Diva and Flea: I picked this book solely on account of that gorgeous cover! But the book was a delight too! A little dog named Diva loves staying within the comforts of her apartment building in Paris, happy not to venture out. Flea, on the other hand, is an adventurous cat who considers himself a flaneur and loves exploring new places. One day, the two meet outside Diva's building, each finding the other to be from some sort of a strange species. There is a lot to love in this book. Flea and Diva are character opposites but they get along greatly. More importantly, they learn a lot from each other and even strive to do something they are challenged by. And if you're like me, you may spend more time appreciating the illustrations than actually reading the book.

The Princess and the Pony: Kate Beaton's illustrations are well worth every inch of paper they are drawn on. They look quirky and are also quirky. This cute story of a little warrior princess and the pony that she got instead of the horse she wished for is so heartwarming that I read it twice. I had trouble with Beaton's Hark! A Vagrant comics but this picture book was quite something different and wonderful.

The Book with No Pictures: When I read that this is a kids book without illustrations, I was very curious about how the author (B. J. Novak!) would hold a kid's attention without pictures of any kind. But this book is a riot. Mainly because it expects the reader (i.e. The parent) to make all sorts of funny noises when they read to their kid. I will admit that the novelty wore off for me quick but I am pretty sure that kids will love to have their mom or dad read this book to them and laugh their heads off at the weird sounds.

Mother Bruce: Bruce is one grumpy bear who loves to cook. He once took snatched a goose's eggs that he wanted to cook but before he could do that, the eggs hatched into little goslings. As if losing his appetite this way wasn't enough, these goslings started calling him mama. I laughed way too much at this little book. It was charming, funny, and filled with hilarious illustrations. I had to read this one twice because the pictures were just too funny. A story about a bear going on a shopping trip looking for "buy local" organic eggs that he then cooks after finding some recipes on the internet? Sign me up.